The Day Meg Told Apollo to Jump Off a Cliff
by supworld
Summary: Meg, Apollo, Calypso, and Leo, find themselves in Las Vegas. Meg gets bored and Apollo is forced to find something for her to do. What does he suggest? Having fun at the Stratosphere Tower of course! I bet Meg really regrets giving him this order now... (A fluff-filled one-shot between Meg and Apollo!)


**This is a prompt I was encouraged to write about! So excited that I actually got it finished! Thank you so much** parimalik **for the idea! I hope you like it. Sorry it took longer than expected. XP**

* * *

It was a hot and sunny day in Las Vegas, and Apollo and Meg were feeling somewhat impatient. They had _finally_ managed to find directions to the underground cave Zeus had ordered them to find, and Calypso and Leo were in the middle of making repairs on Festus from their last monster attack (which involved several air-born automobiles and lamp poles). Unfortunately, during that fight, Festus had had mechanical issues after suffering multiple large dents in his armor as well as the random rod sticking out from his joints. Now, as the two love birds were trying to finish up, Meg and Apollo were left to themselves. They sat on the curb feeling rather restless waiting for their friends to finish. Also, they were slowly evaporating from the heat of the day. Apollo swore he was slightly shorter than when he sat down ten minutes ago. Leo was the only lucky one.

"This is boring," Meg mumbled, her head resting in her hand. "I wanna do something."

"Well," Apollo sighed, "according to Leo, we must wait for the mechanical dragon to be repaired. Waiting is technically something to do if I'm not mistaken."

"No it's not!" she fought back. Then, turning around, she faced the mechanic, his head deep inside a compartment in Festus's side. "Hey, Leo! You hear me? Can't we just leave him behind? He's a big dragon, right? He can take care of himself."

All of a sudden, a mop of grease filled curls came popping back out.

"Uh, no we can't," Leo declared. "There is no possible way in _heck_ I'm leaving Festus behind again after what happened last time. We were lucky we got him back like we did, and something tells me we won't be so lucky next time."

Meg frowned. "Then just compact him in suitcase form and take him along. You're taking forever."

Wiping his forehead with his oil-stained gloves, he shook his head. "Look, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but compacting Festus into suitcase form can only work if there are no plates bent out of shape – which there are. It was pretty tricky finding a way for me to get him to do that even with him in complete working order. Every plate has to be smooth and out of the way. Otherwise, something might snap right off and that's the last thing we need."

An impatient look came across her face. "You're boring."

"No I'm not! I'm just trying to protect a very important team member here!"

"You're boring," she repeated.

Before he opened his mouth to say something more, Calypso shut him up by grabbing his hand. "It's alright. Let's just get to work so we'll be done faster. I don't think any one of us is too keen on being stuck much longer anyway."

Logic won him over and he continued working side-by-side with her.

Meg groaned and lay back on the sidewalk, the random citizens looking strangely at her as they passed. She threw her hand over her eyes to block out the bright sun and scrunched her face. Her hair was a complete mess as usual, bits of sand tangled in her black strands, but she didn't seem to care.

"Apollo," she suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"I order you to find something for me to do."

"You what?" he asked with shock. "How can I look for something for you to do when I'm in the same situation as you? I am just as bored."

"Look around, you twit."

If Apollo was still a god and wasn't bound to this unfair tie between him and this little child, he would gladly turn her into a squirrel. Nonetheless, because that wasn't a reality for him at the moment, like it or not, he was compelled to obey these many demands by this small and irritating demigod.

With a sigh, he took her advice and scanned their surroundings. There were buildings everywhere, horns blaring from angry drivers, and streets flooded with people. He didn't see much other than what was directly in front of him, seeing that there were cars parked on either side of them, both to the right and the left. A chip bag was lying underneath one of the cars as well as an old bottle of water. Across the street were more buildings with large signs advertising casinos and hotels. He was pretty sure they wouldn't be allowed in those places.

"I don't see anything, Meg," he told her. "I guess we're stuck on the streets."

"You just started!" she complained, still lying on her back. "I'm bored."

"But I don't see anything."

"Then try again. I'm dying of heat."

With a roll of his eyes, he looked again, only to have the same outcome. "There's nothing."

Meg sat up with annoyance and stared at him. "We're in Las Vegas, _Lester_! There has to be _something_!"

"Don't call me that! And there isn't. You're just going to have to sit in the hot sun."

"I don't want to sit in the hot sun! I'm feeling crabby and need to have something to _do_!"

"Look," he tried reasoning with her. "Unless you want to get kicked out of a casino, there's nothing…"

Apollo didn't finish his sentence because at that moment, he just so happened to look up. A smile spread across his face. He was suddenly excited with what he had found.

"My dear, Meg," he said. "I think I just found the perfect thing to do."

With sudden interest, she looked at him with a tilted head. "What? What is it?"

He pointed his finger towards the sky. "That."

Meg followed to where he was directing her eyes and was brought into attention by a large tower, but not just any tower, the Stratosphere Tower topped with carnival rides.

"Dude!" Leo said from the sidelines. "Is that the Stratosphere Tower? Sweet! I'll go there!"

"Then let's go!" Apollo declared standing up. "We're fairly close too! We can get there by foot. Festus isn't needed for this small quest."

Leo looked at the wrench in his hand and then at Calypso and Festus. "But… we can't just leave. I'm not done with Festus yet."

Apollo shrugged. "Then just Meg and I can go. Come on. This will be fun."

Meg's eyes were fixated on the tall figure in the distance, not sure what to think of the thing. She's heard about that tower, but didn't really know how to feel about it. Something about the Stratosphere made her stomach flop around just by looking at it. It was so high. And people were riding on that miniature rollercoaster. And bungie jumping. And Apollo wanted to go all the way up there? For _fun_?

"You coming, Meg?" he asked. "You said you didn't want to do nothing, so here's your chance to do something."

Still, even though it made her queasy, part of her still wanted to check it out. She then made up her mind. If Apollo could do it, so could she.

With a firm nod, Meg agreed and stood. "I'm in."

Apollo grinned even wider. "Then let's go! To the Stratosphere Tower we go! Bye guys!"

Just after they were about to walk off, Calypso stopped them in their tracks, her hand on her hip. "Wait a minute. Don't you think we should plan a set time for you to be back by? Just so we know if something bad happens?"

Apollo thought a moment. "Yes. That is a good idea. What time shall we be back by?"

She looked back at her boyfriend. "Leo, do you have a watch?"

"Yup," his voice echoed from inside Festus's compartment again. "1:30."

"Okay," she said, looking back at the two of them. "How about we make it – at the very latest – one hour. That will make it 2:30. You alright with that?"

Meg and Apollo confirmed between the two of them via eye contact and nodded.

"Sure thing," he smiled. "See you then!"

Soon enough the duo were strolling down the streets of Sin City in search of a route to the Stratosphere Tower. Most of the way, Apollo had to put up with Meg and her ongoing chatter –which primarily consisted of a lot of nonsense. It wouldn't be so bad if the conversation gravitated towards him, but it never did and it was miserable. Finally, however, after wandering for close to a full twelve minutes, Apollo and Meg were at the doorstep of the tall and majestic building.

"Ah!" Apollo declared, his arms spread and head turned to the sky. "Behold! The tower! What grandeur it bestows the land of this vast desert! I will make a haiku out of it!"

Meg scrunched her nose at him. "Gross! Don't!"

As he began explaining all the positive reasons why he should (if there _was_ any), Meg let her eyes travel up the steep and very intimidating structure that stood before them. Now up close, her heart was beginning to pound a little faster. It was so tall she could barely see the top. Standing at the foot of this thing, she was really pondering if she actually wanted to go up. Was she actually going to try this? Then she remembered her telling Apollo she was all for it. She couldn't back down and look like a wimp now, could she? She had to follow through.

Apollo's sudden start to a haiku then brought her back to reality.

"What grander you are,

Oh, Stratosphere grand and tall!

You stand over all!"

"That was _horrible_!" Meg cringed. "Don't _ever_ do that again!"

"Come, my dear, Meg!" he grinned pointing to the doors in triumph. "Up we go!"

Passing many people in the lobby, the two snuck through whatever openings they found in order to reach the elevator. Meg struggled to keep up with Apollo while all the same, trying to linger and take advantage of the fact that they were still safely on ground level. The closer they got to their destination, the paler her face went. Eventually, after weaving in and out of tourists they were standing in line for the elevator. The wait was long and every passing minute made her nails bite even harder into the palms of her hands. Apollo was oblivious to her discontent. For all he knew, he was sure she was nearly jumping for joy for the amazing fun they were about to have. He was certainly looking forward to it himself. He was so glad he looked up when he did.

They were squashed inside the elevator along with six other people when the time came for their turn. Meg had suddenly grown especially quiet at this time, but surely it was simply because she could hardly contain her excitement. She kept her eyes shut and mumbled to herself about something. Apollo couldn't hear what she was saying, but it was not a concern of his. The others in front of them talked and laughed and shared their thoughts about the experience they were about to have here. Clearly, none of them have ever been to this mini-sized amusement park either.

The door opened and they all began their way out. Apollo and Meg were at the very back of the group. Very slowly Meg walked, continuing to mumble to herself.

"Come on, Meg," he urged her, he himself now fully out of the elevator. "You are very sluggish today. Come on out."

She let out a long shaky breath. She could do this. There was no turning back now. They were at the very top. She said she was brave enough to do this. She said wasn't going to back out.

With newfound strength, she swallowed and stepped off the elevator. Immediately, she regretted it as she looked up from her feet. From where she stood, all she saw was sky. Everything other than the building itself she was standing on, was blue, as if she was drowning in deep water. It was even getting hard for her to breathe.

Apollo, in his ignorance of the situation, smiled at her and walked over to the edge of the railing. "Wow, what a view! Look at this, Meg! You can see the whole world from up here!"

Hating the position she was in, Meg grumbled and took a few more steps forward to convince him she was totally okay here. Stopping a good three feet away from Apollo and the railing, she leaned forward slightly and peered what was over the edge.

Buildings. Sky and buildings was the entire landscape. Even the taller buildings looked insignificant to the Stratosphere. And there was wind. Meg tried to plant her feet steadily on the ground beneath her. It felt as if the entire world was spinning, daring to push her down over the edge.

"Wow," Meg managed to squeak, taking a step back. "Quite a view."

"Isn't it?" Apollo grinned. "I wonder if we can find Festus from up here."

Waiting a few seconds, watching Apollo take it all in, she suddenly said, "Well, this was fun. We should do this again sometime," and headed towards the elevator again.

With confusion, he turned around and quickly grabbed her arm. "But we only just arrived! Don't you want to go on any of the rides? You do know there are rides, don't you?"

"I'm not stupid!" she spat back. "Of course I know there are rides, you fuzz brain!"

"Then let's go! I want to try the Insanity ride first."

Grabbing her hand, Apollo gladly began dragging her towards the line, Meg, for some odd reason, trying to pull away from him. She was shouting at him, not one of her sentences making any sense. They were all rambled together at a fast pace. Must be because of how excited she was.

"Apollo!" she screamed. "No! The ride! Back to the elevator! Too high up!"

"I'm excited too, Meg, but you should probably calm down," he insisted. "People are staring at us and oh, how I do hate being looked at like I'm some insane mortal."

"Apollo!" she continued.

Thankfully, to their luck, as they reached Insanity, people were already starting to climb onboard the ride, the previous riders getting off. The line was shrinking fast and it was the perfect opportunity to join in on the fun.

"Ah!" he beamed. "We're just in time! Look! They're boarding."

"But… b-but the elevator! _High up_!"

Hurriedly, he rushed them to the end of the line, shouting to the man in charge of the ride to wait up for them.

"Wait! Sir!" he shouted. "Are there two seats left for us?"

"Apollo!" she squeaked again.

The man at the booth adjusted his ball cap and continued to count the passengers. He nodded in a bored manner. "Yes, sir."

"Apollo!"

"Well this works out just fine!" Apollo cheered. "Let's get going, Meg."

Continuing to drag her down the queuing line, the small demigod seeming to fight against him, they found themselves past the gate. Letting go of her hand, Apollo jumped up onto one of the duo seats, the other free for Meg. Strangely, she tried backing away from it and looked back at the man in charge.

"What are you waiting for, Meg? This will be fun."

"W-what does this ride do exactly?" she asked with hesitation. Was there fear in her voice? Nah. Meg wasn't scared of anything. She so proudly announced it all the time.

"It spins in circles," Apollo explained. "It's really quite fun. I mean, I've never been on it myself before, but I can assure you, it is incredibly exciting. This is what you wanted, right? Exciting?"

"Well, yeah but…"

"But what? What better way to overcome boredom than with something like this? We are going on a carnival ride! On the top of a building! What's better than this? Well, actually, being a god is. You get to ride in flying chariots and zap people with godly powers… but yes! Quite amazing!"

Once more, she hesitated.

The man in the booth was now going around the ride, making sure everyone was all strapped in properly. He checked each buckle by tugging on it, tightening the random one, and jiggling the chest guards ensuring they were all locked in place.

Gradually, he made it over to Apollo and Meg looking rather annoyed.

"Little girl," he said when he got there. "I'm going to have to ask you to get in your seat, please. There are other people lining up for the ride and you are holding it up."

"B-but I…" she started.

"Little girl? Do you mind getting into your seat, please?"

"Meg?" Apollo asked, misunderstanding the reason for her delaying. "Hop on."

She stood there in fright, not knowing what to expect. It was like she was frozen in place. Oh, how she wished she could just run off to the elevator again. She wouldn't even care how cowardly it looked. She didn't like this at all.

Then, without her consent, the man running the ride actually picked her up under the arms himself and lifted her onto the seat. Before she had time to stop him, she watched him buckle her in and lock the chest guard in place. Her eyes went big.

"There we go!" Apollo grinned beside her, mocking her without meaning to. "Now we're ready!"

The man at the booth closed himself in his little shelter and went through a bunch of rules for everyone to follow. Then, after that was done, Meg watched him press a button. Almost immediately after, she felt their seats lift upwards. Her heart began dancing a panicked salsa as she watched her feet leave the solid and safe ground she was instantly craving.

"Here we go!" Apollo cheered and others around him added their own hoots.

 _Circles_ , she thought. _Apollo said this ride just went in circles. Nothing to be afraid of. I can do this._

How wrong she was.

As they began spinning, slow at first, she felt the ride – as in the whole frame of the ride – gradually move over to the edge of the platform. It kept moving and moving until…

No.

It was going over the edge! Oh, gods! It was hanging over the edge and the enormous city of Las Vegas sat beneath their feet! Of all the horrible things!

From her side, Apollo laughed and began swinging his legs while staring down at the world below as they spun. Meg didn't dare. She was glad he felt so joyful because right about now, she was ready to wet herself. This was so totally _not_ what Apollo told her this ride would do!

"APOLLO!" she screamed over the wind, barely getting anything out of her mouth at this point. "YOU LIAR! YOU LIED!"

"What?" he asked, his brown curls tossing in the wind. "No I didn't! Look! We're spinning in circles!"

And, just at that point, to make everything so much worse, Meg watched and experienced with horror, the frame each set of seats were individually attached to expand and spread out like a blooming flower so they were all facing the city far beneath them – while they spun at a rather fast pace. Everyone was cheering and/or screaming. Not her. Meg was so frozen in her fear that at that moment, all she could think about was the possibility of their seats suddenly detaching from the ride and plummeting to the ground thousands upon thousands of feet below. How could people possibly enjoy this?!

Apollo laughed with joy, watching the world spin round and round. This was the best thing he's done in weeks! It was too bad Leo and Calypso couldn't make it because this was fantastic! It was just like riding his chariot again! He missed that thing, bringing morning to the world… What a perfect way to start the day: to watch the mighty Apollo fly across the sky in all his wonder. It was a privilege for a mortal to witness.

"Hey, Meg!" he shouted over the wind. "Isn't this great?!"

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed almost immediately. Her short hair whipped across her face as if struggling to be free and her knuckles completely white from the tight grip she had on the chest guard.

"What?" he asked flabbergasted. "How could you hate me for giving you the best day of your life? Aren't you having fun?"

"NO!" she screeched without a second in between their statements. "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, APOLLO! YOU'RE A LIAR!"

"I-I don't understand!"

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT, YOU MORON! I DIDN'T WANT TO GET ON!"

"You… you didn't want to get on?"

"NO!"

"Well, then, why in the world didn't you tell me?"

"I _TRIED_!"

"No you didn't! You just stood there!"

"YOU SAID IT JUST SPUN IN CIRCLES!"

"No, I said it spun in circles. I didn't say it _just_ spun in circles! You misunderstood!"

"I HATE YOU, APOLLO! YOU'RE A LIAR!"

Meg squeezed the bars of her chest guard even tighter. Apollo was fairly surprised her cat eye glasses weren't falling off her face what with them spinning and hanging over top the city of Las Vegas. Her green dress flapped in the wind and she kept her body tight and as close together as she possibly could, possibly thinking that the smaller she made herself, the less chance there was for her to fall. How silly humans were. And Apollo was now one himself for a limited time… well, _hopefully_ for a limited time.

Seeing his friend in such as state, her body frozen with fear, he now understood the reason for her odd behavior. Meg, of all people, was afraid. Although he wasn't completely sure of what, he still felt the urge to ask a question normally only mortals would think to ask.

"Are you alright, Meg?"

"WHAT DO THINK, YOU PIG-HEADED, ATTENTION-OBSESSIVE FREAK?!"

His eyebrows furrowed. "Does… Does that mean you are not?"

"NO!"

"Well then," he started, not knowing how to help. "What can I do for you? Is there something I can do?"

"GET! ME! OOOOFFFFF!" and she continued to stare far below with large eyes.

Although seeming like such and easy demand, Apollo wasn't exactly sure he could get her off by simply snapping his fingers the way he could've if he was still a god. As he is continuously reminded, he is now a mere mortal incapable of working those types of wonders.

So, feeling completely helpless – a feeling he truly hated having, he might add – he remembered an act of kindness he had seen in the streets between a mother and her upset son. He'd never really done it before and it was odd for him to think this way, and he had no idea if it would work or not, but it was worth a shot.

Reaching out, Apollo managed to pry one of Meg's hands off the chest guard, and held it tight in his grip offering his own comfort. Surprisingly, after expecting her to pull back and yell at him, he actually felt her squeeze back without a word. He looked at her with slight shock and confusion. Did this mean his holding her hand was working? Was it really that simple? How odd humans really were. Still, Apollo made sure that for the entire rest of the ride to never let go of her hand. Meg seemed to appreciate it as she made no move to let go. At times it got a little painful as she would dig her nails into his flesh, leaving crescent imprints in his hand. Despite this, however, he toughed it out if it meant he was helping her.

"This ride doesn't last too long," he assured her, offering more comfort. "And we're perfectly safe. Now, normally, as so many times I've heard, I understand this is a moment someone would probably tell you not to look down."

She suddenly turned her gaze at him and glared.

"I can see that doesn't quite fit very well with our situation."

"No kidding!" she screamed at him.

"However, if it helps, may I advise you to close your eyes? It may help."

With her face turned back to the spinning world below them she gript him harder. "I-I can't! What if we fall?! I don't want to fall!"

"We won't fall, Meg," he promised. "Trust me. And, if by any chance we do, which is in fact _very_ little, you forget that in dire situations my father allows me some fraction of my godly power to come back. I'm sure I could fly us safely to the ground again in no time."

"Oh yeah?! And what happens if you don't get your amazing godly powers back?! WE'LL FALL TO THE GROUND AND DIE! HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT OF THAT?!"

"But what if I do? It's happened before. Now why don't you try closing your eyes like I said. Just try. We won't fall."

There was severe hesitation going on inside her and it almost seemed as if she wasn't going to do it. Eventually, though, with her hand in his, Meg managed to find enough strength to shut her eyes tight and trust him to protect her. It was both a relieving and remarkable feeling for him. She actually trusted him enough to close her eyes when she felt her life was being threatened. He almost felt honored.

"Now," he started, an idea blooming in his head. "Let's talk about something other than the ride."

"Like what?" she shouted over the wind. Strands of her hair were stuck to the corners of her mouth.

"Like…" He thought a moment. "Well, like what you think of Camp Half-Blood. What is your favorite activity to do there?"

"At camp? I don't know. Maybe helping in the gardens or walking through the woods."

"And why is that, my dear, Meg?"

"Because I like plants. I'm the daughter of Demeter. Plants make me happy."

"I like plants too."

"Really? I don't see you being the kind to want to stop and sniff flowers."

"Oh, but I do… every once in a while, that is. I'll admit I like taking to the sky in my chariot before planting, but that is just who I was made to be."

"Well I'll take the ground long before the sky, thank you very much."

Apollo smiled. Already, he found her voice beginning to grow calmer and less panicked. He just had to keep talking with her. The more she talked, the less she was focused on the ride.

"Here's another random question," he shouted over the wind. "What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Chocolate," she answered her death grip on his hand already loosening just enough that he didn't feel like his hand was about to be severed off.

"Chocolate? Out of all the ice cream flavors in the world, you pick chocolate? Human beings are quite boring aren't they?"

"I like chocolate! What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, but… Well, haven't you ever tried anything different?"

"I like vanilla and strawberry. I don't eat a lot of ice cream."

Quite honestly, Apollo's heart broke a little for her. How could someone not get ice cream?

"My dear, Meg," he stated. "That will change today. As soon as we get off, I shall buy you the biggest ice cream cone you have ever gotten! And you shall pick a new and exciting flavor!"

To his surprise, the demigod suddenly looked over at his with big eyes and a smile, seemingly forgetting about her fear. "Really? We're going to get ice cream? For real?"

"Certainly," he smiled back. "That is if I find somewhere to get some."

She laughed. "I bet Leo and Calypso would've wanted to come with us after all. They're gonna miss out!"

"Too true. This is something special for just the two of us."

Apollo didn't need to be a god to notice the bright grin evident on her face. Her conversation with him was actually working really well and the mere mention of getting ice cream got her excited. If he dare say it, it was rather amusing, but in a good way. Maybe there _were_ things he enjoyed about this fireball of a demigod. The times she showed such true excitement was somewhat rare, but it was always such a treasure to see it in her when she let it show. She didn't look so rough and tough in those moments. She actually looked her age: a twelve-year-old child with room still left to grow.

Another thing that made him happier was that Meg's grip on his hand was now softened enough to be considered non-threatening. It was as if she was simply holding his hand now, not trying to cut him. This made him grateful as well.

Soon enough, they felt their seats tilt back upright so they were no longer facing the world beneath. Meg let out a sigh of relief as the ride gradually slowed and pulled back onto the loading platform. From her side, Apollo squeezed her hand one last time and grinned at her. She smiled back.

"See?" he said. "What did I tell you? We lived!"

"Well I didn't say we would die… not _exactly_."

"So I guess you can say you have been on one of the rides on the Stratosphere Tower and lived to tell the tail!"

Rolling her eyes, she let go of his hand and focused on unbuckling herself. They had stopped moving completely and others were now hopping off.

Being the good friend he was, Apollo decided to step off last in order to make sure Meg was alright to leave on her own. After all, there were pretty high off the ground. He didn't want her to freak out any more. How could he have not seen it before?

Meg proved brave enough and nearly ran off, overly thrilled to be able to walk on a solid platform even though it was still insanely high. Besides, Apollo had promised her they could stop for ice cream and there was no way she was going to miss that. She wanted get it as soon as possible. She was starved.

After jogging a distance, Meg turned her head around before running to the elevator to see how far back Apollo was. Apparently he wasn't as far back as she had thought as he was pretty much directly behind her.

"Oh!" she said in surprise. "There you are."

"What?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Were you worried you would lose me?"

She opened her mouth to respond, preferably in a sarcastic and witty comeback, but her brain gave her nothing. Instead, she stood there standing like a moron with her mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for oxygen.

"No…" she finally settled with. Wow, Meg. Way to go. You're a cleaver one. "I just expected you to move slower on your puny mortal legs."

"Puny!" he declared with eyes wide open. "I think not! I am very handsome and these legs, even though I am now mortal, are still in wonderful shape! And, while we're at it, because you are a mortal, you better careful yourself."

Instead of getting mad or throwing another insult at him, Meg simply smirked. "Whatever. Are we getting ice cream now?"

"Why of course, my dear, Meg! That is a promise I, the great Apollo, could never forget! Having ice cream with one of my dearest demigod friends could never be forgotten!"

"Then let's go!" she grinned and practically dragged him towards the elevator, more than relieved to leave this stupid building. Apollo laughed behind her and followed the best he could.

* * *

Calypso was both upset and worried at the same time. She and Leo had been sitting on the curb for nearly twenty minutes now, waiting for their friends to come back. It was now 2:50. They had finished working on Festus only a few minutes ago themselves (man, that dragon took forever), but ever since the hands on Leo's watch said 2:30, she's been counting down the minutes. Naturally, this made it seem even longer. While Calypso had suggested multiple times to head out and search for them, Leo had counteracted that suggestion by offering the idea that they wait a little longer. He was set on believing they were simply late coming back after having too much fun at the Strotophere Tower, or whatever it was called. He kept insisting that they could very well be stuck on a ride and lost track of the time.

"But what if they don't show up?" she argued back, fiddling with her long hair. "They could be in trouble and we're just sitting here."

"I know, I know," her oil-stained boyfriend muttered, "but I have a feeling we should just wait a little longer."

"A little longer," she scoffed. "You've been saying that for ten minutes straight now."

"I understand that, Cal, but trust me. I don't feel like they're in any trouble."

"Like you would know."

He rested his elbow on his knee and sighed. "I don't know for sure, but I do have a feeling. Just wait it out for five more minutes. If they don't show up by then, I promise we can go searching, okay?"

Calypso looked at him directly in his brown eyes. She let out her own sigh and thought a moment. If they waited any longer while they were in trouble, it could mean them losing their lives. Still, as Leo also suggested a little while ago, if they were in trouble, they could find a way to get their attention very possibly. After all, they were at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Las Vegas. If something was happening, it would be hard to miss it.

"You know what?" she mumbled. "Okay. Fine. Five minutes."

"Or…" Leo smiled while looking over her shoulder. "We can stay where we are."

Confused, Calypso then turned around to find Apollo and Meg rounding the corner with large ice cream cones in their hands. They were talking and laughing with each other – a sight they rarely saw – while the ice cream was turning to liquid from the heat of the day. To no surprise, Meg had had it all over her mouth and she was either unaware of it, or simply didn't care enough to wipe it away.

A sudden wave of anger washed over Calypso and she bolted up to her feet within seconds. She could physically feel the heat from her reddened cheeks.

"How _dare_ you keep us waiting like that!" she nearly shouted at them. "We were worried sick about you! We thought something went horribly wrong!"

"Oh, don't worry about that anymore," Apollo said waving his hand as if swatting a fly. "We merely took a little pit stop on the way back. We're alright."

She glared at cones in their hands, Meg happily licking it and ignoring the conversation at hand. "At pit stop? I suppose this pit stop was important enough to make us wait and grow concerned about you?"

"You got ice cream?" Leo complained in a whiny tone, sounding very much like a small child. "Guys this is _so_ not fair. First the Stratosphere and now ice cream. _Really_?"

Apollo licked his cone. "Although I didn't intend for you to worry… yes. It was a _very_ important pit stop, one I don't think you'll understand the importance of."

"Oh, really?" she glared.

"Yes. I promised you see," he explained nodding his head to Meg. "It was the perfect way to end our amazing little adventure, isn't that right, my dear, Meg?"

"Yup," Meg agreed with a nod.

Seeing her, Calypso felt her anger suddenly subside as if it never existed. She did look happy. "Is that what you've been doing the whole time then?"

Apollo looked down at the daughter of Demeter. "Well, after a bit of Insanity." The two chuckled.

Calypso looked puzzled.

Licking his ice cream again, Apollo asked, "How did you enjoy your day, Meg? You think you would be up for having a second go on that ride?"

Immediately, Meg glared at him. "Go jump off a cliff."

* * *

 **Again, hope you like it and don't be shy of sharing a comment or two! :)**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **~supworld~**


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